MES and temp

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indy_nubie

Newbie
Original poster
Oct 19, 2007
27
10
Indianapolis
Has anyone had trouble with the MES loosing alot of temp when the meat goes in? Both times I have done ribs the temp drops from 240 to around 170 and takes almost an hour to get back to 240. Has anyone tried jacking the temp to 275 before putting the ribs in and then lowering it after putting them in? Any help would be great.
 
Yes, I've done that and it seems to work better. In fact, I set my initial temp to 300... when I open the door it definitely loses a lot of heat.
 
ANy smoker lose's heat when you load in the meat, crank up the heat a little when starting and it won't have such a hard time coming back up to temp!
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Have used my MES for a long time now and never had the problem you speak of.

Turn it on at least 45 minutes prior to putting in the meat to be smoked. Also have the water pan in for the same interval so it can be at temp.

Maybe your preheat time is too short?

Are you running on an extension cord? If so you may have a voltage drop at the smoker
 
Sat. I preheated the thing for 3 hours (it was 37 degrees out when I started) Had it at temp for probably an hour and a half (had other things going on). Didn't see a temp drop till I put the meat in. And the MES is plugged directly into an outlet.
 
i have always pre heated my eletric on high as it goes..till my meat is ready then only then do i add the wood and meat
 
Mine will be up to temp in about 30 minutes....Sounds like yours takes about 90 minutes to be ready....Do you have the larger smoker that is available at Sam's etc or the smaller version?

Does the cabinet remain cool on the outside (can you touch it for as long as you want and be comfortable)

Do you leave the wood tray dumper inserted all the time?

My red LED will be on only about 40% of the time...how about yours? is it heating most of the time?

Have used mine in the winter also without any noticeable difference in performance.....HMMM...stumped...
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You might also consider the sand-pan method as temps get colder outside. it will act as a "heat capacitor" and help bring temps back up quickly.
 
I do have the larger model from Sam's and 40% is about right for the heating element once it's up to temp and I really don't know how long it took to get to temp as I fired it up in the morning and went to run to a couple of stores and was at temp when I returned. The only temp problem I have is when I put the meat in. I will try running the temp up to 275 prior and also the sand in the water pan this weekend (doing 3 more racks of spares for a late adults Holloween party). I will let you know how that works out for me. As a side note all of the ribs that I have done in the MES have been very good, just trying to "dial it in" a little and see if I can't improve an already good product.
 
That is something else I've considered, I left them out for a couple of hours this last time before putting them in. Maybe leave them out longer?
 
Not unless you want to make your self sick!!
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Has anyone asked, what are you measuring your temp with?? Most stock thermo's are garbage!! Run your temp up to 300* and then put your meat in, should stabilize fairly quickly.
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More thoughts.......is the door seal leaking?.....Have you tried closing the top vent to 50% until the heat recovers?

I have seen that unit at Sam's and if it has the same wattage heater as the smaller one like mine it is going to take longer possibly.....Run mine at 225* so 240* would take longer too.

Try giving it a larger shot of wood the first time, that will generate some more heat.

If it is windy you might need to shield the MES from it

Watch the raw meat temp as mentioned....keep it out of the danger zone which is 40* or above...
 
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